Exercise Subject Verb Agreement

Choose the correct verb so that it agrees in number with its subject.
1. The heart, veins, arteries and capillaries (is, are) collectively known as the
cardiovascular system.
2. Probably one of the best known success stories in medical history (has, have)
been the control of diabetes, which arises from an imbalance of insulin produced
by the pancreas.
3. Each group of organisms has certain combinations of features which (is, are)
common to it alone and which (separates, separate) it from all other groups.
4. Neither Michelle nor I (am, are) going to the lecture theatre.
5. Proteins, which (is, are) a kind of organic food, are used for cell-building.
6. The teacher concentrates on practical English, which (includes, include) letterwriting and practice for interviews.
7. A feature of invalid vehicles which (concerns, concern) disabled drivers as
much as safety is their inability to carry a passenger.
8. The doctor, as well as the nurses, (is, are) coming soon.
9. Each of the lecturers (teach, teaches) well.
10. Highly developed animals including man (relies, rely) mainly on sound and on
gestures of the face and body to communicate with each other. Those gestures
which convey information about inner emotional states or feelings (is, are)
surprisingly similarly in man and his closest evolutionary relative, the
chimpanzee.
11. Anatomists have traced two sets of nerves to the heart which, although they
are not important in originating the heart beat, (play, plays) a vital role in
controlling its rate.
12. Either of us (is, are) available to go for the performance.
13. The team (is, are) on the field.

Exercise Structural Errors

Incomplete sentences/ Fragments
Read the following paragraph carefully. There are fragments/ incomplete
sentences in the paragraph. Please correct the sentences accordingly.

(1) Summer is supposed to be an enjoyable time. (2) Going to the beach. (3)
Playing tennis and other games. (4) Even just taking walks during the evening
hour. (5) Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy the season. (6) There are people
for whom the summer is pure torture. (7) For instance, my aunt who has anigma.
(8) Suffers terribly in the heat. (9) Because her heart just cant pump fast enough
to circulate her blood and to dissipate her bodys heat. (10) The only solution she
has found to the problem is to stay in her air-conditioned house for the whole
season. (11) As you can imagine, that gets rather boring. (12) Infants and
toddlers, too, playing all the time in the summer. (13) They are bothered by the
heat. (14) Since their bodies havent yet developed the ability to dissipate heat.
(15) Mothers find the situation frustrating because they cannot explain the
causes to their babies and they cannot force their little ones to slow down. (16)
People who live in apartments cant enjoy the summer either. (17) Frequently,
apartments lack cross-ventilation, so the hot air stays in the small, boxy rooms.
(18) Furthermore, apartment dwellers dont own backyards, so they have no
place to go to enjoy a fine summer day. (19) Rather than just stepping out on to
the lawn. (20) They must plan a major trip to a park or beach for summertime
fun.

Exercise:
Each question consists of a sentence followed by a fragment. Correct the error,
either by (i) attaching the fragment to the sentence (ii) rewriting the fragment
into a complete sentence. Make sure you use the correct punctuation, and give
reasons for the structuring of the fragments.
1. All historical events have three basic causes. Once cause being political, one
social, and one economic.
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2. Jim has decided to become a soldier. Having realized that jobs for railroad
engineers are severely limited.
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3. Lisa wants to buy this antique piano. The piano needing a great deal of expert
reconditioning.

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4. My aunt Jenny is an expert on ancient Chinese artifacts. After working in the
museum for the past fifteen years.
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5. My new assistant is a very hard-working chap. But, unfortunately, a man who
does not work very effectively.
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6. The librarian recently bought a very comprehensive dictionary. The kind of
dictionary giving you more information than you really want.
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7. Martha, who manages the local radio station, collects baseball cards. A hobby
she began when her husband was a major league player.
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Exercise: Dangling Modifiers

One sentence of each pair contains a dangling modifier. Underline the dangler.
Circle the letter (A, B) that identifies the correct sentence.
1. A. Hoping to weld a united front against the administration, a number of
resolutions were passed.
B. Hoping to weld a united front against the administration, the opposition
passed a number of resolutions.
2. A. Strolling into the lobby of the hotel, the strains of the solo guitar will lift our
spirits.
B. As you stroll into the lobby of the hotel, the strains of the solo guitar will lift
your spirits.

3. A. When buying a new car, consider the resale value.

B. When buying a new car, the resale value should be considered.
4. A. Seen from a distance, the snow-capped peak might be thought to be a
cloud.
B. Seen from a distance, one might think that the snow-capped peak was a
cloud.
5. A. To arrive at an intelligent decision, three more problem areas must be
explored.
B. If we are to arrive at an intelligent decision, three more problem areas must be
explored.
6. A. After leaving Sacramento and heading West, our first sight of San Francisco
Bay thrilled us.
B. After leaving Sacramento and heading West, we were thrilled by our first sight
of San Francisco Bay.
7. A. If you are using our new international credit card when travelling in Europe,
these problems will not come up.
B. Using our new international credit card when traveling in Europe, these
problems will not come up.
8. A. Being the oldest of five children, Beth is expected to entertain the younger
ones on family outings.
B. Being the oldest of five children, Beths parents expect her to entertain the
younger ones on family outings.

Exercise: Misplaced Modifiers

From each of the following pairs of sentences, select the one that is clearer and
justify your choice.
1. A. Either you pay the fine now or run the risk of being arrested.
B. You either pay the fine now or run the risk of being arrested.
2. A. The group decided to visit the ruined monastery in spite of the long detour.
B. The group decided to, in spite of the long detour, visit the ruined monastery.
3. A. For your required activity course you may either sign up for tennis or
swimming.
B. For your required activity course you may sign up for either tennis or
swimming.
4. A. Yesterday on a short trip to Sioux Falls I counted fourteen pigeons.
B. Yesterday I counted fourteen pigeons on a short trip to Sioux Falls.
5. A. Eight-year-old Terry is almost as tall as his father.
B. Eight-year-old Terry almost is as tall as his father.

6. A. The chairperson reported on the need for a radical reorganization in her

opening remarks.
B. In her opening remarks, the chairperson reported on the need for a radical
reorganization.
7. A. I was told that I had been awarded the scholarship by my professor.
B. I was told by my professor that I had been awarded the scholarship.
8. A. Cost-efficient and convenient, many of todays corporate employees are
being trained through computer-assisted instruction.
B. Cost-efficient and convenient, computer-assisted instruction is being used by
many companies to train employees.
9. A. When purchasing a cell phone, many people become overwhelmed by the
wide variety of calling plans and features.
B. When purchasing a cell phone, the wide variety of calling plans and features
overwhelm many people.

Exercise: Parallel Structures

Two or more sentence elements that have the same function should be in the
same grammatical form.
Rewrite the following sentences using proper parallel structure.
1. Selena was intelligent, determined and had a dynamic personality.
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2. He was fired not only for his frequent absences but also because he was
inefficient.
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3. A person may pursue a goal at college, at a trade school, a military career, or
in industry.
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4. Some predictable faults of the average individual are an irresponsible attitude,
the inability to see ones own faults and everyone being basically selfish.
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5. The leopard represents malice, the lion represents violence, unchecked
passions are symbolized by the she-wolf.
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6. Dante was terrified of the dark wood, the three beasts, and to see the
swarming insects.
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7. We found the film repulsive, offensive, and we thought it was embarrassing.
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8. We have plenty of statutes that forbid people to kill each other and also make
it wrong to maim or even just to be threatening with weapons.
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